FLORIDA SPACErePORT

Buzz Aldrin's 1966 Space Selfie Sells
for $9,200 (Source: C/Net)
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is still the king of all selfies. He took a
self-portrait during the Gemini 12 mission in 1966 with the blue curve
of the Earth behind him. A vintage print of that extravehicular space
selfie sold for around $9,200 at an auction conducted by auction house
Dreweatts & Bloomsbury in London.

Aldrin's photo predates the current selfie craze by decades. He hasn't
been shy about staking his claim to selfie history. In a Twitter post
sharing the photo in July 2014, he referred to the image as the "best
selfie ever." The auction photo is an 8x10 chromogenic print on
fiber-based Kodak paper. (3/3)

China's Moon Rover Yutu Functioning
but Stationary (Source: Xinhua)
China's first lunar rover Yutu (the Jade Rabbit) is still working but
cannot move, a scientist with the lunar probe mission told Xinhua. The
rover, named after the pet of a Chinese goddess who flew to the moon,
was launched in late 2013, but its control mechanism failed on its
second lunar day before becoming dormant in January 2014. (3/3)

SpaceX's Autonomous Spaceport Drone
Ship (Source: Maritime Professional)
The deck barge Marmac 300 (CG No. 1063184) was built in 1998 by Gulf
Coast Fabrication in Pearlington, Mississippi for McDonough Marine
Service, a tug and barge company based in Metairie, Louisiana. As
built, it was 288 feet in length, with a 100 foot beam and a depth of
almost 20 feet. In 2014, it was chartered by SpaceX for use as a
landing pad for returning first-stage rockets after launching objects
into orbit.

The upper deck of the Marmac 300 was extended to a length of 300 feet
and the width was extended to 170 feet. Azimuthing thrusters with
modular diesel-hydraulic-drive power units and a modular controller
manufactured by Thrustmaster were installed, with one thruster on each
corner of the barge. The thrusters may be operated autonomously or by
remote control from a nearby service vessel. With an onboard electronic
navigation system, the barge is capable of precision positioning in
either the autonomous or remote control mode. The barge is currently
based in Jacksonville. (3/3)

Flight (With UNF Experiment) Brings
Balloon-Powered Space Tourism Closer (Source: WIRED)
Late last week, a company came one step closer to sending tourists to
the edge of space using ginormous balloons, breaking a record for the
world’s highest parafoil flight. Arizona-based World View carried the
parafoil—a large, wing-like parachute—to the edge of space using its
ballon, and had it fly back to the ground. It also carried experiments
designed by students from Montana State University and the University
of North Florida. Click here.
(3/3)

ULA Ready to Compete Against SpaceX
(Source: Washington Post)
Faced with mounting pressure from SpaceX, ULA’s new chief executive
said he has been re-configuring the company in order to compete,
slashing the cost of national security launches and developing a new
launch system. Tory Bruno said that since he was named CEO of ULA last
summer his job has been “to literally transform the company,” and he
took a jab at his upstart competitor, saying it was risky to rely on
SpaceX for national security launches.

Bruno said that since ULA's inception, the company "has cut the price
of launch in half, and I'm going to cut it in half again." While he
declined to provide specific numbers, he vowed to "be competitive with
SpaceX's prices." In addition to the new engine, Bruno said ULA is
working on an entirely new launch system that would ultimately replace
its Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. He declined to discuss details,
saying they would be unveiled in April. Click here.
(3/3)

Military Bases Ruled Out as Potential
Sites for First UK Spaceport (Source: STV)
Three Scottish military bases have been ruled out as potential sites
for the UK's first spaceport. However, three Scottish airports have
taken a step closer after a consultation by the UK Government.
Westminster revealed eight possible locations in July last year for the
planned state-of-the-art facility. Six of the eight locations were in
Scotland and now the options have been narrowed down to five. Click here.
(3/3)

Industry Backs UK Government’s
Spaceport Plans (Source: Gov.UK)
A spaceport consultation outcome has been published, paving the way to
make UK commercial spaceflight operations a reality. Publishing the
outcome of a 3 month consultation with a range of interested parties,
the government confirmed widespread support for its plans. This paves
the way towards making commercial spaceflight operations in the UK a
reality. Click here.
(3/3)

20-year-old Military Weather Satellite
Wasn’t First of its Kind To Explode (Source: Space News)
The 20-year-old military weather satellite that apparently exploded
Feb. 3 was not the first satellite in its production run to break apart
after a long, otherwise successful run. In April 2004, a 13-year-old
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft dubbed
DMSP-F11 experienced a similarly catastrophic breakup that produced 56
pieces of cataloged space debris.

In contrast to DMSP-F13 — the 20-year-old, semi-retired satellite that
Air Force Space Command told SpaceNews last week apparently exploded
after its power subsystem experienced a sudden temperature spike —
DMSP-F11 was no longer operational when it exploded. (3/3)

How Would The World Change If We Found
Extraterrestrial Life (Source: Space Daily)
In 1938, Orson Welles narrated a radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds"
as a series of simulated radio bulletins of what was happening in real
time as Martians arrived on our home planet. The broadcast is widely
remembered for creating public panic, although to what extent is hotly
debated today.

Still, the incident serves as an illustration of what could happen when
the first life beyond Earth is discovered. While scientists might be
excited by the prospect, introducing the public, politicians and
interest groups to the idea could take some time. Click here.
(3/3)

What Harris-Exelis Merger Tells Us
About the U.S. Defense Sector (Source: Aviation Week)
Mergers and acquisitions have an interesting side effect: They often
bring to the surface things that otherwise would remain hidden or
unnoticed. The recently announced merger of Harris Corp. and Exelis is
a case in point. Beyond the usual M&A lingo (“transformational,”
etc.), this transaction brings back to light some fundamental truths
about the U.S. defense sector that otherwise tend to be forgotten.

The first truth is that it has become increasingly hard to sort out
what—in this type of transactions—is financial engineering versus
industrial engineering. That is not to say this is the case for the
Harris-Exelis transaction, but the business story does not look as
compelling as the financial one. The reality is that Harris and Exelis
have experienced declining revenues for several years, and merging them
can be seen as an artificial way to boost their bottom lines.

Harris’s revenues will soar to $8 billion from $5 billion today.
However, a back-of-the-envelope analysis shows that the aggregate
revenues for these companies have been declining slowly but surely for
the last five years. Another truth is that, sometimes, when companies
struggle to revive their top-line growth in a tough market environment,
the only way forward is to reshuffle the cards and perform a “strategic
reframing.” This is the most positive spin we can put on it. But we
might worry that it is another example of a nicely packaged,
financially engineered zero-sum deal. (2/27)

The Curious Adventures of an
Astronomer-Turned-Crowdfunder (Source: MIT Tech Review)
If you want to name a star or buy a crater on the moon or own an acre
on Mars, there are numerous websites that can help. The legal status of
such “ownership” is far from clear but the services certainly allow for
a little extraterrestrial fun. There is one nonprofit organization,
however, that uses this kind of crowdsourcing to raise funds for
astronomical research.

And instead of selling stars or craters that it does not own, the White
Dwarf Research Corporation allows anyone to adopt a star on the clear
understanding that they do not own it. This is rather like the
adopt-a-highway schemes run in many countries to help fund the cleanup
of roads.

Today, Travis Metcalfe, an astronomer at the Space Science Institute in
Boulder, Colorado, tells of the many adventures he has had in setting
up and running the White Dwarf Research Corporation. His story is an
entertaining read. Click here.
(3/3)

Russian Spacecraft Lifts ISS Orbit by
750 Meters (Source: Itar-Tass)
Russian resupply spacecraft Progress M-26M has lifted the orbit of the
International Space Station (ISS) by 750 meters in order to create
optimal conditions for docking of the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft,
Moscow-based Mission Control Center (MCC) told TASS on Tuesday. (3/3)

NACA Turns 100 (Source:
Motherboard)
Today marks the centennial of the founding of the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the agency that would eventually
evolve into NASA. Its establishment represents the United States
government’s first serious efforts to explore the skies and space,
forming the bedrock of the thriving contemporary American space
community. (3/3)

US, China Space Rivalry Grows as Race
for Orbital Commerce Takes Off (Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
Mobile phone communication. Point-of-sale transactions. Just-in-time
supply chains and the GPS screen in your car. Consider for a moment how
much satellite-dependent technology has become embedded in our lives.
Much of a modern economy, in fact, relies on the peaceful, almost
routine nature of the business of satellite launches and communication,
while science has come to expect open international collaboration.

That's why the space community held its breath last year when amid
tensions over Ukraine, Russia dangled the idea of cutting US astronauts
off from flights to the International Space Station, a service Moscow
has provided since the Space Shuttle program was scrapped in 2011. It
appeared for a moment that the single outpost of humanity in low earth
orbit could be in jeopardy and with it much research and international
goodwill. Click here.
(3/2)

Air Force Considers Extending OSP-3
Launch Contracting Vehicle (Source: Space News)
The Air Force is planning to modify its current contracting vehicle for
launching its mostly experimental small- and medium-class payloads due
to a hiatus in activity that is expected to last for at least a third
consecutive year. In 2012, the Air Force awarded Orbital ATK, SpaceX,
and Lockheed Martin indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts
that created a stable of vehicles qualified to launch the small and
medium-sized satellites.

Actual launch missions under the Orbital-Suborbital Program (OSP)-3
contract are awarded on a case-by-case basis. The program is intended
to enhance launch vehicle competition and to give the government
flexibility in choosing rockets for specific missions based on cost and
risk. But since the initial two such awards in 2012 — both to SpaceX —
the Air Force has not used the contracting vehicle. Further, the Air
Force does not anticipate awarding any task orders this year.

In light of that, the service said it is considering extending the
OSP-3 performance period from 2017 to 2019. The Air Force also is
considering adding as many as two more providers to the pool of
qualified providers in 2016, the posting said. The OSP-3 contract
vehicle has a $900 million ordering ceiling. (3/2)

Laporte Named President of Canadian
Space Agency (Source: Space News)
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Feb. 27 the selection
of Sylvain Laporte as the next president of the Canadian Space Agency,
effective March 9. Laporte had served as the commissioner of patents
and registrar of trade-marks for Industry Canada since 2011, and
previously held several positions within Industry Canada, Canada Post
Corp. and the Royal Canadian Air Force. (3/2)

Fierce ‘Superflares’ from the Sun
Zapped an Infant Earth (Source: Astrobiology)
Our young sun may have routinely blasted Earth with gobs of energy more
powerful than any similar bombardments recorded in human history. Huge
bursts of these particle and radiation “showers” ignited by these
so-called “superflares” could have penetrated Earth’s protective
magnetic fields and bathed our planet’s atmosphere, a new study has
shown. Superflares, therefore, likely had profound impacts on the
development of life on our planet. (3/2)

NASA Probe to Land on Ceres to Check
Out Mysterious Bright Spots (Source: Sputnik)
The Agency’s Dawn spacecraft, which snapped photos of mysterious bright
lights on the dwarf planet Ceres last week, will be landing on the
planet Friday to determine what those intriguing flashes are all about.
Recent images of Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between
the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, show two small points of light NASA
scientists have dubbed “bright spots.”

They believe these spots could be clues as to how Ceres formed and
whether the planet’s surface is changing. "Dawn is about to make
history," said Robert Mase, project manager for the Dawn mission at
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "Our
team is ready and eager to find out what Ceres has in store for us."
(3/2)

Rebooting Space Advocacy
(Source: Space Review)
Space advocates have struggled in recent years for major victories in
their efforts to increase NASA's budget or enact other space policy
changes. Jeff Foust reports on how a new alliance of space
organizations, and the outcome of a separate space summit, seek more
targeted efforts to support space development and settlement. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2705/1
to view the article. (3/2)

Journey to Whatever (Source:
Space Review)
The new movie "Journey to Space" follows in the footsteps of previous
space-themed IMAX films. Dwayne Day saw the film and finds it lacks the
inspirational message that some of its predecessors had. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2704/1
to view the article. (3/2)

Understanding the Legal Status of the
Moon (Source: Space Review)
As government and commercial activity at the Moon ramps up, it raises
questions about the legal status of some of those efforts, particularly
the extraction of resources. Urbano Fuentes examines what one
particular phase used in treaties regarding the Moon could mean for
those activities. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2703/1
to view the article. (3/2)

Space Economy Trends in the United
States and Europe (Source: Space Safety)
The global space economy reached $314.17 billion in 2013, growing of 4%
from the 2012 amount of $302.22 billion. The commercial sector,
including space products and services and commercial infrastructure,
was responsible for the majority part of this growth. Revenue of
commercial space products and activities, commercial infrastructure and
support industries increased respectively by 7% and 4.6% since 2012.

Government spending faced different evolutions worldwide, with a
substantial reduction in U.S. space spending and budgetary increase in
other countries, such as India, Russia, South Korea, Canada and the
United Kingdom. The Space Foundation’s 2014 Report indicated that the
total of the space economy in 2013 can be schematized as: 24% of
government spending (13% USA, 11% non-USA) and 76% commercial (37%
commercial infrastructure and support industries, 39% commercial
products and services). Click here.
(2/23)

Feedback Time! (Source:
SPACErePORT)
Having switched the FLORIDA SPACErePORT e-newsletter distribution over
to MailChimp, I also had to change the newsletter's format in some
minor ways. The SPACErePORT goes out weekly to over 1500 subscribers
and includes a calendar of space-related events in the Sunshine State.
Is there anything I can do to improve the newsletter? Please respond
with any comments or suggestions. (3/2)

Mikulski Plans Retirement from Senate
(Source: SPACErePORT)
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has announced she will not seek
reelection in 2016. Mikulski is a "Cardinal" in the Senate, one of the
powerful appropriators who control the budget allocations for
government agencies and programs, including space. As the Ranking
Member (and previous chairwoman) of the Appropriations Committee, she
took a particular interest in NASA's budget and actively supported the
growth of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility as a commercial spaceport.
(While not in her district, Wallops is near the Maryland border and
employs many Maryland residents.)

Mikulski has long served as a political counterweight and frequent
budgetary collaborator with Alabama Republican Richard Shelby (also on
the Appropriations Committee). Sometimes the Mikulski/Shelby alliances
were consistent with Florida's interests, but often they were not.
Florida Democrat Bill Nelson (Ranking Member of the committee
responsible for NASA authorizations) was sometimes viewed by his
constituents as getting the short end of the stick after Mikulski and
Shelby cut their budget deals. (3/2)

SpaceX Improves Launch Tempo
(Source: SPACErePORT)
Until recently, SpaceX had gained a reputation for an inability to keep
up with its aggressive launch schedule. Yesterday's launch was the
company's third mission in three months, with another planned in only
three weeks. In 2014 the company launched only six missions total.
According to one report in January, SpaceX has as many as 17 missions
planned for 2015 (including some from Vandenberg AFB in California).

Based on their progress so far this year, it seems SpaceX is going to
easily surpass their launch tempo from last year. To meet the
challenge, they are hiring dozens of new workers at the Cape Canaveral
Spaceport to support their launch operations. (3/2)

Spaceport’s Visitor Centers Evolved
from Modest Beginnings (Source: Florida Today)
It was the early 1960s when NASA permitted the public to drive their
personal vehicles on weekends through certain areas of the Kennedy
Space Center and adjacent Cape Kennedy, later renamed Cape Canaveral.
Also at that time, NASA opened an interim — and primitive by today’s
standards — exhibit area in a trailer. It consisted mainly of static
displays, including photographs and other items on tables.

A year or so later, when the two-man Gemini orbital space missions were
under way, this exhibit area moved to a temporary indoor warehouse.
This new site housed additional displays and exhibits, but it was still
in a warehouse mainly used to store cables. At that time, I and other
NASA public affairs contract support writers were additionally tasked
with overseeing these weekend public visits to this modest warehouse
facility. Click here.
(3/1)

FSDC Board Selects New President
(Source: FSDC)
The Florida Space Development Council (FSDC) has new leadership for
2015. Gabriel Rothblatt has been selected by the FSDC Board of
Directors to serve as the organization's next president, leading the
organization's development of new programs in support of Florida's
continued space industry expansion and diversification.

"As home to our nation's most capable spaceport, Florida should be a
center for space industry innovation and growth," said Mr. Rothblatt.
"But while our state has historically been a leader in the development
of pro-space policies and programs, other states have moved ahead of
us, attracting business, investment and talent away from Florida."

Mr. Rothblatt has already engaged in national space advocacy on behalf
of FSDC, participating in the Pioneering Space National Summit, held in
Washington, D.C., on February 19-20, which produced a consensus
statement to guide human space exploration policy. Mr. Rothblatt will
return to Washington on March 15-19 to represent the FSDC in the newly
formed Alliance for Space Development (ASD), to promote policies that
support the space launch industry and facilitate a sustained human
presence beyond low Earth orbit. (3/2)

Space Tourist Sarah Brightman to Wear
Cornflower Blue Spacesuit (Source: Itar-Tass)
Sarah Brightman will fly to the ISS dressed in a velvet-blue space suit
with an emblem of the UK flag. The details of the costume of the next
space tourist were disclosed by Alexander Yarov of Kentavr-Nauka, the
main designer of space outfits for Russian cosmonauts. "During a short
space flight Sarah Brightman intends to wear a spacious polo-style
shirt, a light suit, a Kentavr space suit intended to minimize the
pressure of space load during the flight and a Bracelet elastic belt,"
Yarov said. (3/2)

Midland Approves $200K Engine Test
Facility for XCOR (Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram)
MDC and City Council furthered its investment into XCOR Aerospace’s
relocation to Midland with an approval last week for a $200,000 rocket
engine test stand facility at Midland International Air and Space Port.
The additional facility will be used for XCOR’s research and
development operations and for testing the rocket engines.

MDC board chairman Robert Rendall said XCOR wants the testing facility
in Midland to be identical to the one in Mojave, California. Midland
International Air and Space Port will be the owners of the facility,
but XCOR will be leasing it. (3/2)

NASA Astronauts Venture Outside ISS
for the Third Time in 8 Days (Source: New York Times)
NASA astronauts took their third spacewalk in eight days outside the
International Space Station, pushing forward with work to prepare for
new docking ports that would be used for commercial spacecraft. (3/1)

Why Is The ISS So Important?
(Source: Test Tube)
Russia has decided to continue to fund the ISS until the year 2024, but
is it worth it? What do we gain by keeping the space station open? This
remains a hotly debated subject. A few things to keep in mind when
considering its value: it's the only microgravity lab humanity has, and
simply by existing it's fostering political cooperation between 15
countries and creating jobs around the world. Building the ISS was no
simple task, and that drove people to invent new technology. Click here.
(3/2)

SpaceX Launches Commercial Satellites
from Florida (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX has launched its third Falcon 9 of the year. The rocket is
carrying a pair of communications payloads for Eutelsat and Asia
Broadcast Satellite. The rocket launched at 10:50 p.m. from the Cape
Canaveral Spaceport. Separation of the two satellite payloads was
confirmed at around 11:27 p.m. (3/1)

CASIS and Shackleton Sign ISS
Agreement for Re-Entry System (Source: SpaceRef)
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) has signed a
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Shackleton Energy Company (SEC) to
design, develop and test in space a variety of new, highly capable
reentry vehicles enabling on-demand, rapid return to Earth of
time-critical experiments from Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

SEC's re-entry vehicles (technically described as Mini Space Brakes -
MSBs) will be developed using novel aerobraking and flight dynamics
control systems. The SEC team will leverage US federal technology
investments and work closely with CASIS, NASA Centers, FAA, DoD and
private partners to achieve its goals.

With this MOA, CASIS intends to support SEC with facilitation of
payload integration activities, launch to ISS and deployment of MSBs
from the station to test these miniaturized, highly intelligent,
deployable maneuvering reentry vehicles (RV) for the purposes of
providing real flight data to guide optimization of a compact,
lightweight, low cost commercial on-demand reentry capability. (3/1)

Scooby Doo Gets Commercial Space
Mission (Source: Reel Life with Jane)
A new Scooby adventure was just released on DVD and Digital HD,
“Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness,” in which Scoob and the gang blast
off for an epic journey into outer space! After winning the last five
seats in a lottery, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma are off
to space in billionaire Sly Barron’s brand new ship, the Sly Star One,
a space tourism vessel setting off on its inaugural voyage.

It’s all gravity-free fun until a mysterious alien begins to destroy
the ship. As the vessel breaks down, the crew is forced to land on Sly
Baron’s base – located on the dark side of the moon. Will the gang
unravel this alien mystery? Will Scooby and Shaggy find snacks on the
moon? Hop aboard, fasten your seat belts, and get ready to travel to
the outer limits with Scooby-Doo to find out.

Bonus Features include the featurette, “Space Travel is Groovy!” Join
Mindy Cohn, the voice of “Velma,” as she introduces viewers to some of
the real world technology and training that is part of modern space
flight. Click here.
(2/28)

Hawaii Legislature Considers 3 Space
Measures (Source: Parabolic Arc)
In early February, the Pacific International Center for Space
Exploration Systems (PISCES) submitted three legislative bills intended
to further the Center’s project goals and development. The first bill,
SB 672, appropriates general funding for the Center to continue its
planetary surface systems work enabling Hawaii to move to the forefront
of the aerospace sector, as well as an additional appropriation for the
acquisition of a central headquarters and testing facility.

SB 671 is a PISCES-led basalt rebar initiative requesting funds for an
engineering study to determine how volcanic basalt can be used as an
asset and potential new industry in the state of Hawaii. The
study will assess if Hawaii’s basalt can be used as a material in
manufacturing basalt rebar – a considerably lighter, and stronger
alternative to steel rebar – while investigating the necessary energy
support needed for production. The bill requests federal matching
funds for the engineering study, to be conducted over a one-year period.

Special Fund bill SB 1158 proposes the establishment of a special fund
for the operation, maintenance, and management of all PISCES projects,
facilities, services, and publications. The bill also provides
the ability for the Center to accept outside revenue. (3/1)

Land, Sea and Space: Naval Aviators
Have Led the Way (Source: Rocket STEM)
The United States Navy and NASA have had a working relationship for
over 55 years now and they continue to complement each other in many
different aspects of space exploration. This relation was forged way
back in the late 1950s when NASA first began to look for pilots to
become Astronauts that would eventually fly aboard their new Mercury
spacecraft. Click here.
(2/17)

Rocket Lab Gains Development Funding
(Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab USA has completed a Series B financing round. In addition,
Lockheed Martin will make a strategic investment in Rocket Lab to
support the exploration of future aerospace technologies. Rocket Lab
will use the funding to complete the Electron launch system and plans
to begin operations as a commercial launch provider as early as 2016.

David Cowan has joined Rocket Lab’s Board as part of BVP’s funding. “On
the South Pacific islands of New Zealand, a world class team of
engineers is designing a rocket that will revolutionize aerospace,”
says Cowan. “With unprecedented economy, reliability, fuel efficiency
and frequency, Electron is the transformational launch option that
small satellite constellations need to usher in a new era of space
colonization.”

Rocket Lab expects to reveal further details about the Electron launch
system in April 2015 at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. (3/2)

Lockheed Invests in Rocket Lab
(Source: Rocket Lab)
“Lockheed Martin pursues technology investments that help us keep pace
with innovation across the industry,” said Lockheed Martin’s Chief
Scientist Ned Allen. “Rocket Lab’s work could have application in a
number of aerospace domains, and we look forward to working with them
to complement our overall efforts in small lift capabilities and
hypersonic flight technologies.” (3/2)

Rocket Crafters Taps New CEO
(Source: Florida Today)
Rocket Crafters Inc., a Titusville-based company developing a
suborbital spaceplane, has tapped former NASA astronaut Sidney
Gutierrez as its new chairman and CEO. Gutierrez, a retired Air Force
colonel, piloted space shuttle Columbia's STS-40 mission in 1991 and
led the STS-59 mission aboard Endeavour in 1994. The New Mexico
resident previously served as chairman of the company's board.

"There is no question in my mind that the type of dedicated small
satellite launch system Rocket Crafters is developing is crucial to the
expansion of space commerce," Gutierrez said in a statement. "We are
developing a system that is an order of magnitude more responsive and
economical than the vertically launch, multi-stage rockets we have used
for over half century." (3/1)

Space Department Gets Rs 6000 Crore;
Focus on Launch Vehicle Tech (Source: New Indian Express)
The government has allocated Rs 6000 crore for the Department of Space
for 2015-16, with a major thrust on Launch Vehicle Technology projects.
With the emphasis on Launch Vehicle Technology projects, the government
has allocated Rs 2148 crore for developments in this direction. For
Total Launch support, tracking the satellites, the government has
allocated Rs 651 crore. For operations of the INSAT programs that
includes the GSAT and INSAT satellites, Rs 1281 crore has been
allocated. (2/28)

Ticket to Space for Research
(Source: Slate)
We’re at the doorstep of cheaper, more reliable access to space. Ticket
prices are within reach of wealthy individuals and, perhaps more
importantly, companies that do science. A lot of Dan Durda’s
experiments can be done easily in the few minutes of weightlessness
these suborbital flights provide. Click here.
(3/1)

Chris Hadfield's Flight Suit Found in
Thrift Store (Source: CBC News)
A flight suit once worn by astronaut Chris Hadfield is apparently now
the property of a Toronto doctor who found it in — of all places — a
local thrift store. "I thought, wow, what is a flight suit like that
doing up there?" Dr. Julielynn Wong told CBC News, recalling how she
stumbled upon the bright blue jumpsuit in one of the many second-hand
stores on Queen Street West. Then she saw the name stitched on the
left-hand side: Chris Hadfield.

She says she bought it for $40, marked down from $80. The suit looks
just like the one the former commander of the International Space
Station is seen wearing on the back cover of his book, An Astronaut's
Guide to Life on Earth. "[Hadfield] started asking questions. He said,
'Well, does it have a puncture marks in the badge?'" It did. And other
details also matched up. Hadfield said it was, indeed, his old suit.
"That's a mystery to me as to how it got there," he wrote. (3/1)

Hands-On Activities, Children's Camp
Launch Texas Space Exploration Exhibit (Source: Victoria
Advocate)
"3-2-1 Blast Off!" might sound like a rocket's countdown, but at the
Museum of the Coastal Bend, it's a day of hands-on workshop activities
launching the opening of the Museum's new exhibit. The exhibit is
"Above Texas Skies: Space Exploration in the Coastal Bend." (3/1)

NASA Spacecraft Arrives at Dwarf
Planet Ceres This Week (Source: Space.com)
NASA's Dawn spacecraft will begin orbiting the mysterious dwarf planet
Ceres this week, ending a deep-space chase that lasted 2 1/2 years.
Dawn is scheduled to reach Ceres — the largest body in the main
asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter — on Thursday night (March 5).
The probe has been headed for Ceres since September 2012, when it
departed Vesta, the asteroid belt's second-biggest denizen. (3/1)

Air Force Eyes 28 Launches, Shared
Investment for Next Rockets (Source: Global Post)
The U.S. Air Force may kick off a multibillion-dollar competition for
28 launches of government satellites this spring to help end U.S.
reliance on Russian-built rocket engines, according to an Air Force
document. The Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center mapped out
the possible tender, which would include government and private sector
investment, in a request for information sent to selected companies on
Feb. 18, with responses due March 20.

The Air Force said it may award contracts between the first quarter of
fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2018. The first rockets would launch no later
than 2022. The contracts would cover about 28 launches of military and
intelligence satellites. The issue is being closely watched by ULA and
SpaceX, which hopes to be certified to do at least some DOD launches by
mid-year. Orbital ATK and Aerojet Rocketdyne have also expressed
interest.

The Air Force plan follows an approach taken by NASA to use commercial
providers to ferry cargo and crew to the ISS, a strategy favored by the
White House. It is at odds with Congress, which hopes to develop a U.S.
rocket engine as a national asset with the government to own the design
and make it available to all launch providers. Editor's Note: So
Orbital ATK would not be able to offer the Antares with its Russian
engines. Maybe this is an opportunity for their hibernating Liberty
rocket, which would share LC-39B with NASA's SLS. (3/1)

Space Coast Pitch Series: Where Ideas
Become Realities (Source: SCTC)
Making your idea a reality just got easier. The Space Coast PitchSeries
offers entrepreneurs an opportunity to get exposure to the know-how and
networks needed to take their idea to the next level. This series of
four networking and workshop events is free and aims to connect
innovators with a diverse panel of serial entrepreneurs and
subject-matter experts. Click here.
(2/28)

Brevard Man Finalist for One-Way Trip
to Mars (Source: Florida Today)
George Hatcher of Merritt Island recently advanced to the final round
of 100 candidates vying to be selected as astronauts by the Mars One
Foundation, which wants to establish a human settlement on the Red
Planet in the next decade. The NASA KSC engineer was his son's age when
dreams of spaceflight took hold, after his mother gave him a Lego set
that included a spaceman. (3/1)

Hyperloop Gets Its First Commercial
Contract For Short Track In California (Source: Forbes)
The first commercial agreement to build a working hyperloop was
announced between Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) and Quay
Valley, a 12-square-mile ecotopia planned along a desolate strip of
grassland on Interstate 5. The hyperloop, you may recall, is a
transportation concept pitched in 2013 by industrialist Elon Musk, in
which passenger or cargo capsules shoot through tubes at speeds of up
to 750 miles an hour.

HTT is a loose federation of 200-plus volunteers working on different
parts of the project for equity. It recently announced plans to issue
$100 million in public stock in the fall in a Dutch auction. A part of
that money will pay for construction of the Quay Valley track. A second
contender, Hyperloop Technologes of Los Angeles, is backed with $8.5
million and a dream team of investors from Silicon Valley. The third
effort is by Musk himself, who has agreed to fund the construction of a
sub-scale test track in Texas.

HTT’s plan is to sell tickets to earn a return on investment, says HTT
CEO Dirk Ahlborn, but more important is the opportunity this represents
to iron out the many remaining technical challenges such as how to load
and unload the 28-capsule passengers from the capsule every 30 seconds
and how to maintain a consistent near-vacuum in a miles-long tube.
(2/26)

Nimoy And Why Space Needs Real Spocks
(Source: Forbes)
Maybe it was those Vulcan ears. But news of Leonard Nimoy’s passing
automatically triggered memories of the 83 year-old actor’s most
celebrated role as Mr. Spock — both the Starship Enterprise’s first
officer and science officer.

Try as he might to break free of being typecast as the dispassionate
half human/half Vulcan we all came to know and love, audiences never
let Nimoy forget that it was his role as Mr. Spock that continually got
under their skins. How could such a cool customer like Spock capture
the hearts and minds of so many over the last half century? Click here.
(2/27)

Life 'Not As We Know It' Possible on
Saturn's Moon Titan (Source: Phys.org)
A new type of methane-based, oxygen-free life form that can metabolize
and reproduce similar to life on Earth has been modeled by a team of
Cornell University researchers. Taking a simultaneously imaginative and
rigidly scientific view, chemical engineers and astronomers offer a
template for life that could thrive in a harsh, cold world -
specifically Titan, the giant moon of Saturn.

A planetary body awash with seas not of water, but of liquid methane,
Titan could harbor methane-based, oxygen-free cells. Their theorized
cell membrane is composed of small organic nitrogen compounds and
capable of functioning in liquid methane temperatures of 292 degrees
below zero. (2/27)

Florida ‎Legislative Leaders Need
Challenging Space Goals (Source: FSDC)
Going into the 2014 annual Legislative Session in Tallahassee, the
Speaker of the Florida House and the President of the Florida Senate
both have the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in their districts. This is an
encouraging development for the state's space industry because these
leaders will understand the importance of supporting smart
space-focused policy and funding decisions by the Florida Legislature.

Unfortunately, they aren't yet being asked to do much heavy lifting.
We'll know more when their own separate House and Senate budget drafts
are released, but thus far Governor Rick Scott's budget request
includes less than was appropriated last year. Gov. Scott currently
wants only enough to keep Space Florida operational and hasn't
requested, for example, continued funding for commercializing the
Shuttle Landing Facility, which should soon be transferred by NASA to
Space Florida. (2/28)

He said that the objective of increasing the number of satellite
launches was to expand the space program taken up by ISRO. Earlier,
ISRO used to launch four to five satellites every year. From the
current year, the space agency will launch ten satellites into orbit
every year, he said. (2/27)

How Much Earth Science Should NASA Be
Doing? (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA is talking proudly on its website today about the five
Earth-observing satellites it has launched in the last two years.
Agency leaders are pointing to accomplishments like the first global
rainfall and snowfall map as examples. NASA says Earth missions expand
our view of the home planet. In addition to global rain and snowfall,
the agency says new satellites are measuring "atmospheric carbon
dioxide, ocean winds, clouds, and airborne particles called aerosols."

But is this too much Earth science and not enough space science? Sen.
Ted Cruz (R-TX) says it is, and Cruz is now in a position to do
something about it. So, is it either Earth science or space science for
NASA? Or should it be both? But if it's both, which is most important
in a tight budget environment? It's an ongoing debate and a question
that space enthusiasts will put to both candidates running for
president in 2016. (2/27)

NanoRacks Resumes ISS Satellite
Deployment (Source: Forbes)
Last summer, satellite deployers on board the International Space
Station belonging to space science company NanoRacks developed issues
that prevented some cubesats deployed into their orbits. After several
months of work and repair, that company has been able to solve those
issues and celebrated a deployment of two satellites belonging to
Planet Labs on Friday.

The satellite deployment system allows commercial space companies to
deliver cubesats – small satellites just a few inches around – into
orbit at a low cost. The cubesats get delivered to the space station
during its normal cargo runs and then are deployed by astronauts from
the station itself. The satellite deployers were developed and built by
NanoRacks. (2/27)

NASA Storms Ahead With Urgent Space Fix
(Source: Forbes)
NASA has hit a breakthrough on an urgent in-space software fix,
empowering its Mars exploration. The space agency on Tuesday uploaded
an highly-inventive, rigorously tested software patch to the Mars Rover
Opportunity vehicle, which was experiencing severe flash memory
problems on one bank of memory. The issues had been leading the Rover
to constantly reset and lose data. (2/26)

DARPA Seeks Tiny Satellites to Map
Terrain for US Troops (Source: Sputnik)
An American defense contractor is developing small satellites capable
of quickly providing US ground troops with images of their
surroundings. In December, DARPA awarded a $1.5 million contract to
Raytheon to develop the satellites. The technology has been named the
SeeMe satellite – after DARPA's quest for Space Enabled Effects for
Military Engagements. It is about the size of a water cooler and is
cheaper to make and launch than the typical hardware sent into orbit.
(2/28)

Are We Winning the War for Talent?
(Source: SSPI)
The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today
released Are We Winning the War for Talent? The 2015 International
Satellite Industry Workforce Study. It is the satellite
industry's first multi-company, multinational study of workforce
practices, employee compensation and engagement, and the make-up of the
industry’s workforce. Click here.
(2/24)

Are We Alone? Do We Want to Know?
(Source: Washington Post)
Some SETI researchers are pushing a more aggressive agenda: Instead of
just listening, we would transmit messages, targeting newly discovered
planets orbiting distant stars. Through “active SETI,” we’d boldly
announce our presence and try to get the conversation started.
Naturally this is controversial, because of . . . well, the Klingons.
The bad aliens.

“ETI’s reaction to a message from Earth cannot presently be known,”
states a petition signed by 28 scientists, researchers and thought
leaders, among them SpaceX founder Elon Musk. “We know nothing of ETI’s
intentions and capabilities, and it is impossible to predict whether
ETI will be benign or hostile.”

This objection is moot, however, according to the proponents of active
SETI. They argue that even if there are unfriendlies out there, they
already know about us. That’s because “I Love Lucy” and other TV and
radio broadcasts are radiating from Earth at the speed of light. Aliens
with advanced instruments could also detect our navigational radar
beacons and would see that we’ve illuminated our cities. (2/28)

NASA Employee Arrested for Assaulting
Police Officer (Source: Dayton Daily News)
A NASA employee has been arrested for reportedly assaulting a
University of Dayton police officer as he was being arrested during an
incident at off-campus housing Friday morning. David I. Hawbecker, 34,
of Maryland, was arrested. Campus police along with Dayton officers
were dispatched to a UD student’s residence on the report of an
assault, according to university officials. He is listed as the
laboratory chief for the NASA Office of Inspector General at their
headquarters in Washington D.C. (2/27)

Timing of Russian Engine Ban Puts ULA,
Air Force, in a Bind (Source: Space News)
The new U.S. law barring the Air Force from using Russian-made rocket
engines starting in 2019 could force the DOD’s primary launch services
provider to battle for future military business with its least
competitive product. Although Congress provided money for the Air Force
to start work on a new U.S.-built main engine this year, service
officials are doubtful that it will be ready by 2019.

Even if it is, which industry officials argue is possible, the engine
would still have to be certified by the Air Force to carry national
security payloads, a process that one executive said could take more
than two years. That scenario would leave United Launch Alliance in a
weak competitive position relative to its rising nemesis, SpaceX.
SpaceX is on the verge of earning certification for its low-cost Falcon
9 rocket and also hopes to demonstrate a heavy-lift launcher this year.

The problem for ULA is that its lowest-cost rocket, the Atlas 5, is
powered by the Russian-built RD-180 engine. ULA’s other main rocket,
the Delta 4, is powered by an American-made engine and is technically
capable of launching all of the satellites on the Defense Department
manifest. But in addition to being far more expensive than the Atlas 5,
the Delta 4 is often viewed as an inferior rocket. (2/27)

What Big Bang? Universe May Have Had
No Beginning at All, Study Claims (Source: Sputnik)
Two theoretical physicists have suggested nothing like the Big Bang
played a role in the start of our universe 13.8 billion years ago,
refuting Edwin Hubble’s 1929 theory that the universe was contained in
a single point in space and some violent event caused it to expand.
“Our theory suggests that the age of the universe could be infinite,”
said study co-author Saurya Das. (2/27)

20-Year-Old Military Weather Satellite
Apparently Exploded in Orbit (Source: Space News)
A 20-year-old military weather satellite apparently exploded in orbit
Feb. 3 following what the U.S. Air Force described as a sudden
temperature spike. The “catastrophic event” produced 43 pieces of space
debris, according to Air Force Space Command, which disclosed the loss
of the satellite Feb. 27.

The satellite, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 13, was
the oldest continuously operational satellite in the DMSP weather
constellation. The Air Force still has six DMSP satellites in service
following the launch last April of DMSP-F19. (2/27)

Harris Leaving Brevard for Virginia?
Both Have a Lot to Offer (Source: Florida Today)
As Harris Corp. executives contemplate moving the headquarters out of
Brevard County - possibly to Northern Virginia's Fairfax County -- to
be closer to Washington, D.C.'s power brokers -- we thought we'd make a
quick comparison of the two areas. Click here.
(2/27)

Khrunichev Signs 15-Year Deal with
Gazprom Space Systems (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Khrunichev Space Center and OAO Gazprom Space Systems (GSS) signed a
number of documents envisaging expanded strategic cooperation between
the two companies. In furtherance of the Company Rehab Program, company
officials met at Khrunichev’s Proton assembly facility to sign an
agreement on strategic cooperation, and a contract for a Proton launch
of GSS’s Yamal-601 communications satellite. (2/27)

Curiosity Confirms Mars Methane, Which
May Hinting at Life (Source: U. of Granada)
The tunable laser spectrometer in the SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars)
instrument of the Curiosity rover robot has unequivocally detected an
episodic increase in the concentration of methane in Mars' atmosphere
after an exhaustive analysis of data obtained during 605 soles or
Martian days. This puts an end to the long controversy on the presence
of methane in Mars, which started over a decade ago when this gas was
first detected with telescopes from Earth. (2/27)

5 New NASA Missions Tracking Changes
on Planet Earth (Source: KPCC)
Over the past year, NASA turned much of its focus from space and
launched five new missions aimed at studying planet Earth. Thursday,
the space agency shared some preliminary findings from those missions,
showing a picture of a planet changing due to man made green house
gases. This suite of new missions includes three satellites and two
instruments aboard the International Space Station. Click here.
(2/27)

NASA OKs Sunday Spacewalk Despite
Water Leak in Helmet (Source: CFLnews13)
Astronauts on the International Space Station will head out for another
spacewalk this weekend despite a water leak in one astronaut's helmet
Wednesday. NASA on Friday cleared astronaut Terry Virts' spacesuit for
Sunday's spacewalk, the last of three to route hundreds of feet of
cable needed for the new, American-made spacecraft set to fly to the
space station starting in 2017. (2/27)

Major Aerospace Project Considering
Volusia, with Tie to Shiloh (Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal)
Project Panther — a major economic development project being considered
for Volusia County — involves aerospace-related metal manufacturing
that could support a proposed spaceport at the Volusia/Brevard county
line or possibly commercial spaceflight operations elsewhere. The name
of the company is evaluating potential locations and remains anonymous,
but interviews with several Volusia County civic leaders this week
revealed it’s an aerospace company looking to build a manufacturing
facility.

Economic development boosters say the project is pivotal to efforts to
attract higher-paying jobs and tap into the growing commercial space
market that NASA and Space Florida are trying to develop in the region.
A project consultant met recently with Clay Henderson, a local attorney
who has been among those opposed to Space Florida’s proposed Shiloh
project. “He identified himself as a site selection consultant for an
entity that was interested in developing a commercial spaceport at
Shiloh,” Henderson said. Click here.
(2/27)

Russia Installs Nanny Cam at Siberian
Spaceport (Source: Air & Space)
We wrote last year about the Vostochny cosmodrome in Siberia, planned
to be a partial replacement for the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan
after constuction is finished this summer. Russia hopes that switching
to the eastern spaceport will lessen its reliance on another country
for launch services.

Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin is not happy with the pace
of construction at Vostochny, however. Not happy at all. So he ordered
webcams to be installed at the launch site, so the public could keep
watch over the workers. There, that should speed things up. Live scenes
from Vostochny are now available. Click here.
(2/27)

The Big Melt: Antarctica's Retreating
Ice May Re-Shape Earth (Source: AP)
From the ground in this extreme northern part of Antarctica,
spectacularly white and blinding ice seems to extend forever. What
can't be seen is the battle raging underfoot to re-shape Earth. Water
is eating away at the Antarctic ice, melting it where it hits the
oceans. As the ice sheets slowly thaw, water pours into the sea — 130
billion tons of ice (118 billion metric tons) per year for the past
decade, according to NASA satellite calculations.

That's the weight of more than 356,000 Empire State Buildings, enough
ice melt to fill more than 1.3 million Olympic swimming pools. And the
melting is accelerating. In the worst case scenario, Antarctica's melt
could push sea levels up 10 feet (3 meters) worldwide in a century or
two, recurving heavily populated coastlines. Parts of Antarctica are
melting so rapidly it has become "ground zero of global climate change
without a doubt," said Harvard geophysicist Jerry Mitrovica. (2/27)

Russia Launches Spy Satellite Atop
Soyuz From Plesetsk (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
A Soyuz-2-1a rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the town
of Mirny, north of Moscow, Russia, carrying the first Bars-M spy
satellite for the Russian military. (2/27)

CubeSats Offered Deep-Space Ride on
ESA Asteroid Probe (Source: Space Daily)
Think of it as the ultimate hitchhiking opportunity: ESA is offering
CubeSats a ride to a pair of asteroids in deep space. Teams of
researchers and companies from any ESA Member State are free to
compete. The selected CubeSats will become Europe's first to travel
beyond Earth orbit once the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) is launched
in October 2020. (2/27)

India Plans to Test-fly Reusable
Launch Vehicle by Mid-2015 (Source: Indian Express)
Taking India’s ‘space shuttle’ dreams a notch closer to reality, ISRO
plans to test-fly the Re-usable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator
(RLV-TD) by the middle of 2015. “The test-flight will take place either
by the end of the first half of this year or the beginning of the
second half. Work is progressing satisfactorily,” ISRO’s new chief A S
Kiran Kumar said. “This first test is one of a segment. Work on the RLV
is progressing in steps,” he said. (2/27)

Who's Paying £34 Million to Blast
Sarah Brightman Into Space? (Source: Daily Mail)
Just before 11am on September 1, a mighty Soyuz‑FG rocket will blast
off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome deep in the desert steppes of
Kazakhstan. On board will be a space capsule containing three
highly-trained cosmonauts bound for the International Space Station
(ISS), including Sarah Brightman, who ironically once fronted Hot
Gossip for their 1978 smash hit I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper.

It seems like a joke. But the star, who has sold more than 30 million
albums, is deadly serious. Recently, she was shivering in sub-zero
temperatures in a forest outside Moscow during survival training with
her fellow cosmonauts. Brightman may well have been prepared by the man
she has most recently been romantically linked to, a flaxen-haired
Californian inventor and aeronautics engineer called Dezso Molnar. With
or without his help, Brightman passed through Star City with flying
colors.

However, we must return to that thorny question of who is paying for
all this. One clue could be found at the press conference in Moscow in
October 2012 when Brightman announced her stellar ambitions. Sitting
alongside her was a man called Neil Ford, who is the director of the
sector for external relations and public information of UNESCO (the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). As
it happens, Brightman is a UNESCO ‘Artist for Peace’, which means she
is an international advocate for its work. Click here.
(2/27)

Spaceflight Growth Means New
Opportunities for Aspiring Aerospace Engineers (Source: Spartan
Daily)
The future is looking bright for aerospace students looking for jobs in
the next few years. Large shifts in some of the industries that employ
large numbers of aerospace engineers, most notably the spaceflight and
unmanned aerial system industries, will make it easier for many people
to get jobs.

According to Demarest, college-level engineers will occasionally get
jobs with large companies right out of college. He referenced a rare
event when Elon Musk, the founder of prominent spaceflight company
“SpaceX” visited Stanford and pulled some engineers out of its
aerospace department to work for him. (2/27)

University of Texas Creates Master's
Degree Program for Space Entrepreneurship (Source: Daily Texan)
The University is planning to offer a master’s degree in space
entrepreneurship beginning in May.
The program will be a part of the larger Masters of Science in
Technology Commercialization program, which began in 1996, according to
program director Gary Cadenhead. The space entrepreneurship degree,
first announced earlier this semester, will be tailored directly to
students who want to learn about combining space exploration and
business management. (2/27)

Astronaut Speaks with Space Alabama
Group From ISS (Source: WAAY)
Expedition 42 Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry
Virts, the two NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station,
spoke with SpaceAlabama.com the morning of February 26, 2015. The
interview covered 3D printing in space, working with ground teams at
the Marshall Space Flight Center, living and working in space and of
course, spacewalking. (2/27)

Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ‘Star Trek,’
Dies at 83 (Source: New York Times)
Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful
global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first
officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie
juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel
Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83. (2/27)

Early Space Exploration Artifacts on
Display at California Spaceport (Source: Lompoc Record)
When Jay Prichard first entered the main building at Vandenberg Air
Force Base’s Space Launch Complex-10 nearly 23 years ago, the Air Force
veteran likened the scene to cracking open the vault of a time capsule.
“I pried that door open with a crowbar in June of 1992 because it was
literally rusted shut,” Prichard said this week while standing in the
nondescript building that, prior to his crowbar, had essentially gone
untouched since 1981. Click here.
(2/27)

Space Intel Gives France Policy
Independence (Source: Defense News)
France draws on its own system of military intelligence satellites to
deliver geospatial intel, a resource seen as key to political
independence and used for sharing valuable data with the armed forces
and allies, a defense official said. That geospatial or geointel
capability is intended to support an "autonomous appreciation" of
conflicts such as Ukraine by the French Defense Ministry, the chiefs of
staff and political leaders, the official said, who spoke on condition
of anonymity. (2/27)

Ron Garan Thinks We Should Colonize
The Moon Before Mars (Source: Huffington Post)
As the Dutch-based Mars One venture continues to narrow down candidates
for its one-way mission to the red planet, the idea of a permanent
human settlement in space is seeming less far-fetched. But NASA
astronaut Ron Garan revealed that he thinks there's a better option
than Mars for a first attempt at interplanetary colonization: the moon.

"I think we have a long, long way to go both figuratively and literally
to get to Mars," Garan told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani. "There's
many steps, I think, and I think personally what makes sense as a next
step in space exploration is to establish a transportation
infrastructure between the Earth and the moon and to determine a
permanent human presence on the moon."

Providing routine missions to the moon and creating a base for humans
there will offer a means of exploring "the entire solar system,
including Mars," Garan said. For instance, with a natural supply of
water, spaceships could refuel on the moon. Click here.
(2/27)

Moon Versus Mars: Are They Really That
Different for Settlers? (Source: SPACErePORT)
Mars settlers won't be able to wander the planet without space suits.
They'll have to use airtight habitat structures and closed-loop life
support systems. The same will be true on the moon. Sure there are some
major differences, but if the objective for an initial
habitat/settlement is to gain experience and perfect requisite life
support technologies, the moon seems like the faster, lower cost
option. The moon also is close enough to Earth to allow more feasible
escape/abort/rescue plans. (2/27)

Engility Acquires TASC, Expands Into
Analysis of Space (Source: Intelligent Aerospace)
Engility Holdings has completed its acquisition of TASC Inc. for
approximately $1.3 billion, creating “a leading government services
provider with a customer footprint that spans the federal services
market,” officials say. (2/26)

NASA Satellites Start Tracking Down
the Sources of Climate Change (Source: NBC)
NASA scientists are showing off some of the first results from a fresh
crop of satellites and space station sensors designed to track the
factors behind climate change and extreme weather on a near-real-time
basis. Some of the observing instruments are still being calibrated,
but they're already providing data for weather forecasts and climate
modeling, the scientists said. Click here.
(2.26)

US Needs a Mars Colony, Buzz Aldrin
Tells Senators (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. must do more than just plant a flag on Mars if it wants to
continue as a leader in the field of space exploration, Apollo 11
moonwalker Buzz Aldrin told senators this week. "In my opinion, there
is no more convincing way to demonstrate American leadership for the
remainder of this century than to commit to a permanent presence on
Mars," Aldrin told members of the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Space,
Science and Competitiveness. (2/26)

Worden Leaving NASA To Pursue Private
Sector Dreams (Source: Space News)
Simon “Pete” Worden, the retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who
transformed NASA Ames Research Center into an incubator for innovative
public and private space projects, is stepping down as the director of
the Silicon Valley facility “to pursue some long-held dreams in the
private sector,” he announced. Worden said he does not have a job lined
up, but that he has his eye on academia. (2/26)

Best 3D View of Deep Universe Reveals
Astonishing Details (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have just released a brand-new, best-ever 3D view of the
deep universe, and it's a doozy. The amazing new photo, released by the
European Southern Observatory (ESO) reveals never-before-seen cosmic
objects in a relatively small patch of sky. The MUSE instrument on
ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile spent 27 hours staring at the
Hubble Space Telescope's Deep Field South region, helping scientists
learn more about far-flung galaxies. Click here.
(2/26)

Virginia Launch Pad Repair Set to Halt
in Funding Spat (Source: Reuters)
Work to repair a Virginia-owned launch pad damaged by an Orbital ATK
rocket explosion is about to halt amid a debate about who should pick
up the bill, according to officials in the dispute. The Oct. 28, 2014
accident at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), located on
Wallops Island, Virginia, caused about $20 million in damages to the
state-owned launch pad.

Orbital was launching its third Antares rocket for NASA under a $1.9
billion contract to fly cargo to the International Space Station.
Orbital had insurance to cover its losses at Wallops, as well as damage
to federal property and other entities as required by the FAA. That
insurance, however, does not cover the MARS pad owned by Virginia,
according to spokespeople for the company and the FAA. “We looked at
insurance for the pad, but the coverage was inadequate to our needs,
and to the extent it was available, was exorbitantly costly,” MARS
Executive Director Dale Nash wrote. (2/26)

Boeing's Satellite Launcher Gives
Rockets a 'Butt Boop' (Source: Popular Science)
Elon Musk isn’t the only one interested in reusing his rocket launch
systems. Now Boeing, a fellow winner of NASA’s Commercial Crew
contracts along with SpaceX, just successfully patented a reusable
launch system for getting satellites into lower Earth orbit. The patent
seems to be the result (update: Boeing has clarified that it is a
different initiative) of the company's partnership with DARPA, which
contracted Boeing to come up with a novel airborne satellite launch
vehicle.

The patent is for a first-stage supersonic aircraft, as well as a
second-stage hypersonic aircraft, which carries a satellite-toting
rocket. The first stage vehicle actually shoves its nose up into the
butt of the second stage vehicle; the combined aircraft are then
mounted onto a carrier aircraft, such as a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
or a Scaled Composites White Knight. Click here.
(2/26)

510 Smallsat Launches Planned Over
Next Five Years (Source: SpaceRef)
According to Euroconsult's newly released research titled Prospects for
the Small Satellite Market, a total of 510 small satellites, or
smallsats (meaning nanosats, cubesats, microsats and minisats) are to
be launched in the next five years, a two-third increase in the average
number of smallsats per year versus that of the past decade. This total
includes 14 constellations of different sizes and capabilities that
represent a total of 140 satellites. (2/26)

Air Force Leaders Visit Cape Canaveral
Spaceport (Source: AFSPC)
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt.
of the Air Force James Cody visited the Morrell Operations Center at
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Feb. 8 for the scheduled launch
of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Deep Space Climate Observatory. During their
visit, they had the opportunity of interacting with range, weather and
launch teams at work before the launch. (2/25)

Quilty Handicaps the Silicon
Valley-fueled Space Race (Source: Space News)
The recent flood of investment in audacious commercial space projects
is spookily reminiscent of the late-1990s satellite gold rush, which
famously turned into a rout. Google stepped up last year with its
nearly $500 million purchase of satellite imaging startup Skybox and
followed that up with a $900 million investment in SpaceX’s newly
announced plan to deploy a 4,000-satellite Internet-delivery
constellation, which is also being backed by Fidelity Investments.
Meanwhile, chipmaker Qualcomm and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group
have cast their lot with the 650-satellite OneWeb Internet venture led
by O3b founder Greg Wyler.

Proposed mega-constellations bear a striking resemblance to the
Teledesic and Skybridge Internet-in-the-sky ventures of yesteryear,
which never got off the drawing board. By contrast, mobile telephony
ventures Globalstar — Qualcomm was a ground-floor investor — and
Iridium, along with machine-to-machine (M2M) messaging service provider
Orbcomm, did manage to launch large low-orbiting constellations, only
to declare bankruptcy shortly thereafter.

The new crop of financiers, a combination of venture capitalists,
institutional investors and well-heeled technology giants, are not
oblivious to the history — clearly they are betting that a different
set of circumstances will carry the day this time around. Click here.
(2/26)

New Alliance To Promote Space
Development and Settlement Policies (Source: Space News)
On the heels of a closed-door meeting that concluded space development
and settlement should be long-term goals of the United States, a group
of 11 organizations announced a new coalition that will promote
policies to achieve those goals. The Alliance for Space Development
(ASD), led by the National Space Society and the Space Frontier
Foundation, plans to advocate for legislation and other initiatives to
achieve its goal of accelerating the development and settlement of
space. (2/26)

Hawaii Students Selected for Lunar
Flight Experiment (Source: Hawaii 24/7)
When state legislators provided funding for the Pacific International
Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), a Hilo-based state
government aerospace agency under the Department of Business, Economic
Development and Tourism (DBEDT), they hoped the education arm of the
entity would encourage Hawaii’s students to shoot for the moon.

Little did they expect that goal to be taken literally. But a
partnership between PISCES and NASA will task students from Honolulu’s
Iolani School and the Big Island’s Kealakehe High School to design and
operate an experiment on the surface on the moon by the end of 2016.
The experiment involves electrodynamic dust shield technology and the
selected Hawaii students will be mentored by NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center. (2/25)

Congress Wants to Send a Person to
Mars — but Doesn't Want to Pay the Bill (Source: Vox)
Congress has given NASA a mandate to put a human on Mars. It hasn't,
however, given the space agency enough money to do it. Outside experts
have been pointing out this absurdity for some time. On Wednesday,
Congress heard it directly from NASA's Inspector General Paul Martin,
the person charged with overseeing the space agency.

The problem is simple: NASA is currently developing a space capsule
(called Orion) and rocket system (called SLS) that could theoretically
take astronauts to Mars, as ordered by Congress. But as Martin
explained in his testimony before the House, lawmakers haven't given
NASA enough money to develop the technology needed to use these systems
for a Mars mission. Click here.
(2/25)

Vandenberg: Blasting Off Into the
Future (Source: Lompoc Record)
For many Central Coast residents, Vandenberg Air Force Base is sort of
a hidden gem. We know it’s there, but its presence somehow flies below
most of our radars. Every so often, however, VAFB bursts back onto our
radar screen, usually when a giant rocket is lifting off from the
base’s launch complex. And we must admit, there are few sights more
thrilling than watching one of those rocket-propelled behemoths roar
into the heavens. Click here.
(2/25)

Russia Plans to Put Man on Moon by 2030
(Source: Daily Mail)
Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, said it would launch the manned
missions after reviving its lunar program with unmanned spacecraft. The
news comes three years after a leaked document from the federal agency
suggested a manned mission to the moon was in the pipeline. (2/25)

NASA Administrator Visits Peru
(Source: Peru This Week)
The Administrator of NASA, Charles Bolden, will arrive in Lima on
Friday to speak on the pending Solar System and Mars Exploration
mission, according to the Embassy of the United States in Peru. Bolden
will express his support in Peru’s development of scientific research
and technological development. As well, he arrives to explain the plans
of the ambitious Solar System and Mars Exploration project during a
colloquium.

While visiting Peru, Bolden is scheduled to meet with various
authorities from academic institutions involving science such as the
National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation Research
(CONCYTEC) and the National Commission for Aerospace Research and
Development (CONIDA).

Last year Peru launched its first satellite “Chaski 1” and thus
solidified its presence in the world as a participant in space
exploration. The National University of Engineering sent the satellite
into orbit with temperature reading and photograph-taking capabilities
to send information back to earth. (2/25)

China Gets to Build Argentina
Satellite Tracking Station for Moon Missions (Source: SCMP)
Argentina’s Congress has approved the installation of a Chinese
satellite tracking station in the South American country’s Patagonia
region. The measure passed in the lower house with 133 votes in favor
and 107 against. Opposition lawmakers questioned the possible military
use of the base and a tax exemption that will benefit the station for
50 years. (2/25)

NASA Spending Panel Chairman Keeps
Focus on China (Source: Space News)
The new chairman of the House subcommittee that funds NASA served
notice Feb. 25 that he shares his very vocal predecessor’s concerns
about Chinese efforts to siphon sensitive technical information from
the civil space agency.

Amid a back-and-forth with NASA Inspector General Paul Martin about
China, restrictions on foreign visitors at NASA’s field centers and
cybersecurity, Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), chairman of the House
Appropriations commerce, justice, science subcommittee, produced a
virtual echo of the retired Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who held the gavel
last year. Culberson, who in the hearing called Wolf “a hero of mine,”
pledged to continue the ban on bilateral cooperation between NASA and
China that Wolf tacked on to every federal spending bill passed since
2011.

“The Chinese space program is owned lock, stock and barrel by the
People’s Liberation Army,” Culberson said. “It’s really important that
we keep the Red Chinese out of our space program.” (2/26)

Would You Take a Balloon to the Edge
of Space? (Source: CSM)
The idea of extending the tourist industry into space is not new, but
it has picked up steam in the last few years. It is no longer seen as
an impossibility that, someday, a human could go to space without
needing a science degree or tens of millions of dollars.

There remains, however, the matter of hurtling oneself out of the
stratosphere in a rocket at thousands of miles per hour, which is not
for everyone. For those seeking a gentler ascent, an Arizona-based
company called World View is developing an alternative form of travel,
namely, lofting passengers more than 100,000 feet up in a huge balloon.
Click here.
(2/26)

The Payerne, Switzerland-based company is seeking investors to build
the port in Udbina in southern Croatia, by 2017, Bosanac said in an
interview in Zagreb on Feb. 23. It’s awaiting a license from the local
authorities, he said. This would be the second such project in Europe
for S3, which plans to offer zero-gravity flights from its Swiss base
later this year. (2/26)

India Signs Agreement in Space
Technology for Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (Source: Business
Standard)
Government of India and its national space body, the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) of Department of Space (DOS) has signed
agreement with other developing/developed countries and their space
bodies for peaceful uses of outer space including Research and
Development (R&D) in space science, technology and applications.

NASA Hopes to Continue Cooperation on
ISS Until 2024 (Source: Sputnik)
NASA is ready to continue to cooperate with its International Space
Station (ISS) partners, including Russia, for at least nine more years,
the space agency has said in a statement. "The Obama administration is
committed to extending operation of the International Space Station to
at least 2024," NASA said in the statement, adding that it welcomes
"continued cooperation" from its ISS partners in support of this
extension and looks forward to working with them on the ISS "until at
least 2024". (2/26)

Leaks Show South Africa Spied on
Itself for Details of Joint Satellite Project (Source: Sputnik)
South Africa’s intelligence agency relied on a spy who had access to
Russian military intelligence to uncover details of its own
government’s involvement in a $100 million joint satellite surveillance
program with Russia.

The satellite system, called Project Condor, was launched into orbit
last December by the Russians and provides surveillance coverage of all
of Africa. The project has been shrouded in secrecy, with Russia
originally refusing to reveal who its client was. To find out more
about the venture, South African intelligence turned to an agent “with
direct access to the Russian government,” according to an August 2012
top-secret report, obtained by the Guardian. (2/26)

Laughing Gas and Rubber: A Recipe for
Suborbital Flight? (Source: The Register)
This summer, the skies above Nevada will thunder to the sound of a
mighty hybrid rocket motor, as the Boston University Rocket Propulsion
Group (BURPG) sends its Starscraper vehicle past the symbolic 100km
Kármán line. Having recently tin-rattled its way to a healthy $17k down
at Kickstarter, BURPG is poised to hit the heavens burning rubber and
laughing gas.

The group describes hybrid motors as "relatively underdeveloped" rocket
tech. We spoke to BURPG's Jeremy Pedro – a sophomore engineering
student – who explained the group's choice. He said: "Solid motors
experience high forces and vibrations, but are fairly simple to
fabricate. Liquid engines are complex and very expensive. Hybrid motors
combine the two and give a best-of-both-worlds scenario. (2/26)

New SpaceX Launch Contracts Will Be
First for Texas Spaceport (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Two communications satellites owned by SES are booked to fly into orbit
from South Texas on a pair of Falcon 9 rockets in 2017, giving SpaceX
its first two confirmed payloads assigned to launch from the new
commercial spaceport, officials said Wednesday.

Industry officials familiar with the launch deal said both satellites
are planned to lift off from SpaceX’s new launch site at Boca Chica
Beach near Brownsville, Texas. It was not clear whether another
commercial SpaceX launch could occur from the Texas spaceport before
the SES 14 and SES 16/GovSat missions are ready for liftoff in 2017.
(2/25)

Astronomers Find Impossibly Large
Black Hole (Source: ANU)
An international team of astronomers has found a huge and ancient black
hole which was powering the brightest object early in the universe. The
black hole’s mass is 12 billion times that of the Sun, and was at the
center of a quasar that pumped out a million billion times the energy
of our Sun.

“Forming such a large black hole so quickly is hard to interpret with
current theories,” Fuyan Bian said. A quasar is an extremely bright
cloud of material in the process of being sucked into a black hole. As
the material accelerates towards the black hole it heats up, emitting
an extraordinary amount of light which actually pushes away material
falling behind it. (2/25)

DigitalGlobe's Satellite Pics Are So
Good They're Almost Illegal (Source: NBC)
For the first time, DigitalGlobe is showing off satellite images that
are so high-resolution they used to be illegal. Previously, the U.S.
government banned companies from offering commercial satellite views
with a pixel resolution better than 50 centimeters (20 inches). Sharper
images could be sold only to the government.

Last year, the Commerce Department gave the company the go-ahead to
market images with 30-centimeter (12-inch) resolution — but not until
this month. Now the ban has been lifted, and on Wednesday, DigitalGlobe
announced the full availability of 30-centimeter pictures. (2/25)

Air Force Secretary Casts Doubt on
RD-180 Replacement Schedule (Source: Space News)
Three months after the U.S. Congress ordered the Air Force to wean
itself from a Russian-built rocket engine routinely used to launch
national security satellites, a top service official told lawmakers
that the 2019 deadline set in the legislation is probably not feasible.

In December, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for
2015 that contained a measure mandating that the Defense Department
replace the Russian RD-180 engine with an American-made alternative by
2019. The RD-180 is the main engine on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5
rocket, one of two vehicles the company uses to launch most U.S.
government satellites and virtually all national security missions.

Air Force officials have since raised doubts about the 2019 timeline.
Almost immediately after the bill’s passage, Gen. John Hyten, commander
of Air Force Space Command, described the schedule as “aggressive” and
“challenging.” Editor's
Note: With both SpaceX and ULA developing their own engines
commercially, why should taxpayers develop yet another one? What rocket
would use it? (2/25)

Have Americans Given Up on Going to
Space? (Source: Mashable)
It has plenty of close contenders, but I can't think of a more
depressing statistic from the last week than one contained within a
survey on public perceptions of space travel, conducted by Monmouth
University. On the one hand, the poll was good news for space nuts: 56%
of respondents think that the space program thus far has brought us
"lasting benefits," and that number is pretty much the same across
Democrat, Republican and Independent lines.

At least, in a time of utter political polarization, we can agree that
our past escapades in space were a good thing. A very slim 51% majority
want to increase NASA funding. But that drops to 42% in favor when the
public were asked if they want to send astronauts to the Moon, Mars or
asteroids — suggesting we're fine with sending probes, but less cool
about sending people.

But here's the truly depressing statistic: Only 28% of us say we would
care to go to space personally, even if the trip was entirely paid for.
Some 3% said it depends, a mere 1% didn't know, leaving a full 69% who
have not the slightest desire to slip the surly bonds of Earth's
gravity. Apparently we'd rather not trespass on "the high untrespassed
sanctity of space" or touch the face of God, thanks. (2/25)

Going to Space Doesn't Mean What It
Used To (Source: SPACErePORT)
That survey that found people don't want to go to space? I can
understand it. Space exploration isn't what it used to be. In the 1960s
and 1970s, there was an expectation that humans would go to Mars soon,
that missions to Europa were just around the corner, just like in the
movies. Those dreams turned stale after decades of Space Shuttle
missions turned "exploration" into astronauts circling in low Earth
orbit while the media wondered what music was being played to wake them
up every morning.

Today, "exploration" is being pitched to many as suborbital rides for
wealthy tourists, with the potential for disaster for every mission.
There's talk of returning to the moon and maybe going to Mars, but
there is no consensus, no national imperative, no clear vision. I can
understand why many people think human spaceflight is uninteresting,
pointless, or not worth the risk. (2/25)

Ceres’ Bright Spot has a Dimmer
Companion (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
NASA's Dawn spacecraft is set to insert itself into orbit around the
dwarf planet Ceres on March 6, 2015. The enigmatic body has puzzled
astronomers since its discovery in 1801. The probe's latest images,
taken from a mere 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers) from Ceres, reveal
that the bright spot first detected in previous images, may not be
alone. Astronomers do not yet know what these bright spots are. (2/25)

Ceres' Mystery Bright Dots May Have
Volcanic Origin (Source: Discovery)
As NASA’s Dawn mission slowly spirals in on its dwarf planet target,
Ceres’ alien landscape is becoming sharper by the day. And, at a
distance of only 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers), the robotic
spacecraft has revealed multiple bright patches on the surface, but one
of the brightest spots has revealed a dimmer bright patch right next
door.

“This may be pointing to a volcano-like origin of the spots, but we
will have to wait for better resolution before we can make such
geologic interpretations.” Regions of higher than average albedo
(reflectiveness) have been long known to exist on Ceres, but the low
resolution of the observations have prevented planetary scientists from
interpreting what they could be. But with the slow arrival of Dawn,
these bright spots turn out to be discrete locations that might
indicate surface ice features — possibly evidence for cryo-volcanism.
(2/25)

Rocket Lab Founder Wins New Zealand
Honor (Source: NZ Newswire)
Rocket Lab's Peter Beck has been named New Zealand's Innovator of the
Year at a ceremony led by Deputy Prime Minister Bill English in
Auckland on Wednesday night. (2/25)

There Will Be Beer On Mars
(Source: Playboy)
The Mars crew hadn’t had water, power or fuel for 24 hours.
Communication was down, space suits needed to be repaired and life
support systems were not functioning. But the beer? The beer was just
fine. Earlier this month a team of scientists and space enthusiasts
locked themselves into the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), a
simulated Red Planet base in Hanksville, Utah.

The base is one of four in the world run by the Mars Society, a
nonprofit that wants humans to settle on Mars. Thirteen crews of
volunteers will rotate through the bases from November 2014 through May
2015, helping advance the science still needed for colonization.

At the remote base in Utah, the seven surrogate astronauts were testing
vital space research, such as emergency response procedures,
extraplanetary terraforming and ballistic-launched aerial imaging. And,
of course, how to brew beer on other planets. (2/25)

Don't Panic, But the Sun Will (Far)
Outlive Earth (Source: Space.com)
In a few billion years, the sun will become a red giant so large that
it will engulf our planet. But the Earth will become uninhabitable much
sooner than that. After about a billion years the sun will become hot
enough to boil our oceans.

The sun is currently classified as a “main sequence” star. This means
that it is in the most stable part of its life, converting the hydrogen
present in its core into helium. For a star the size of ours, this
phase lasts a little over 8 billion years. Our solar system is just
over 4.5 billion years old, so the sun is slightly more than halfway
through its stable lifetime.

It is widely understood that the Earth as a planet will not survive the
sun’s expansion into a full-blown red giant star. The surface of the
sun will probably reach the current orbit of Mars – and, while the
Earth’s orbit may also have expanded outwards slightly, it won’t be
enough to save it from being dragged into the surface of the sun,
whereupon our planet will rapidly disintegrate. (2/25)

Russia To Quit ISS In 2024, Take
Modules to Build Space Base In LEO (Source: Aviation Week)
Moscow says it will extend participation in the International Space
Station (ISS) to 2024, after which it plans to disengage three modules
from the Russian segment of the orbiting outpost and use them to
develop a national space station in low Earth orbit.

The plan, according to Roscosmos, is to develop a “Russian space base
on the basis of separated ISS modules.” The new space station would be
configured to incorporate Russia's multipurpose laboratory module,
nodal module and scientific power module, leading to “a promising
Russian space station that meets the challenges of providing secure
access to space.” (2/25)

NASA Offers Space Tech Grants to Early
Career University Faculty (Source: NASA)
NASA is seeking proposals from accredited U.S. universities on behalf
of outstanding early-career faculty members who are beginning
independent research careers. The grants will sponsor research in
specific high-priority areas. Aligned with NASA's Space Technology
Roadmaps and priorities identified by the National Research Council,
the agency has identified topic areas that lend themselves to the early
stage innovative approaches U.S. universities can offer for solving
tough space technology challenges. (2/25)

Case of the Missing 'Failed Star' Has
Scientists Stumped (Source: Space.com)
A new alien planet-hunting tool has found no trace of a brown dwarf
more than 100 light-years from Earth, despite evidence that the misfit
failed star is eclipsing its partner, a team of puzzled astronomers
says. European Southern Observatory's (ESO) new SPHERE
(Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) on the Very
Large Telescope didn't find a sign of a brown dwarf near the double
star V471 Tauri, despite the fact that scientists were pretty sure they
would find one. (2/25)

Water Pools in US Astronaut's Helmet
After Spacewalk (Source: Space Daily)
An American astronaut found water pooling inside his helmet after he
finished a six-plus hour spacewalk on Wednesday, raising new concerns
about the safety of NASA's spacesuits. Terry Virts was not harmed
during the incident, which the US space agency described as "minor"
compared to the near-drowning of an Italian astronaut when a similar
problem occurred in 2013. (2/25)

Earth's Moon May Not Be Critical to
Life (Source: Space Daily)
The Moon has long been viewed as a crucial component in creating an
environment suitable for the evolution of complex life on Earth, but a
number of scientific results in recent years have shown that perhaps
our planet doesn't need the Moon as much as we have thought. Click here.
(2/25)

New Life for New Frontiers
(Source: Space Review)
While discussions about the NASA planetary science budget have focused
on the inclusion of a Europa mission and possible termination of
existing missions, the budget also supports the start of another
mid-sized New Frontiers mission. Jason Callahan explains why a new New
Frontiers mission is so important. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2701/1
to view the article. (2/24)

Objects in Space: LOSAT-X and QuickStar (Source: Space Review)
Long before the current surge in interest in small satellites, plans
for space-based missile defense fostered an earlier wave of smallsat
work. Dwayne Day examines the brief history of one such effort in the
early 1990s. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2700/1
to view the article. (2/24)

Issues in Commercial Launch Law
(Source: Space Review)
As a Senate subcommittee holds a hearing this week on human spaceflight
and commercialization, one topic that may come up is an update to
existing commercial launch laws. Jeff Foust reports on some of the
major long-running issues likely to be considered in any such
legislation. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2699/1
to view the article. (2/24)

The Second Mars Affordability and
Sustainability Community Workshop (Source: Space Review)
Late last year, a group of experts met to follow up on earlier
discussion on developing affordable pathways for human exploration of
Mars. Harley Thronson and Chris Carberry summarize the outcome of that
effort. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2698/1
to view the article. (2/24)

Launch Date for First of Xprize Lunar
Racers Set for 2016 (Source: E&T)
Two teams competing in the Google Lunar Xprize have partnered to secure
a ride to the Moon aboard a SpaceX rocket in late 2016. Japanese Hakuto
and US Astrobotic have become the first of the 18 contenders for the
$30m prize to announce firm launch plans. Astrobotic will be the main
launch procurer with its Griffin lander carrying not only the company's
rover called Andy but also providing room for two Hakuto rovers named
Moonraker and Tetris traveling as a piggyback. (2/24)

Why Having Babies On Mars Will Be No
Small Feat (Source: Forbes)
Parenting is tough enough here on Earth. Imagine being the parent of a
toddler confined to a modular Martian habitat on the dusty plains of
Tharsis. With nary a “jungle gym” in sight, could human parents on Mars
cope with the stress of raising kids in such an alien environment?

Because there are not yet any hard and fast answers to such questions,
it came as a shock to many that just last week a young British
astrophysics student said she hoped to become the first Mars mother.
Maggie Lieu, a 24 year-old student at the University of Birmingham in
the U.K., told Britain’s The Independent newspaper that she thought it
would be “really exciting” to give birth to the “first real Martian.”
Click here.
(2/25)

SES Announces New Launch Agreements
with SpaceX (Source: SES)
SES announced an agreement with SpaceX to launch two new satellites in
2017 – SES-14 and SES-16/ GovSat – using the Falcon 9 rocket. SES had
announced the order of the two new satellites last week. SES-14 is a
hybrid satellite to be positioned at 47.5/48 degrees West with C- and
Ku-band wide beam coverage, as well as Ku- and Ka-band High Throughput
Satellite (HTS) coverage, across the Americas and the North Atlantic
region. (2/25)

India, Russia Planning to Launch a
Research Station Toward the Moon in 2015 (Source: RBTH)
India and Russia are planning to launch a research station towards the
Moon in 2015 – the Chandrayaan-2. This was learned from the list of key
projects for the current year, released on Tuesday by the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO).

The main task of the second Indian moon mission, the Chandrayaan-2,
being carried out jointly by ISRO and Roskosmos, is to study the
chemical composition of the surface of the Earth’s natural satellite.
To do this, they will launch an orbiter station to the Moon, which will
then send a lander craft with an on-board Lunokhod. It will collect
soil samples and carry out chemical analyses, transmitting the data to
Earth. (2/24)

India, UAE Discuss Possible
Cooperation in Space Technologies (Source: Khaleej Times)
India and the UAE have discussed possible cooperation in the field of
space and related areas to strengthen and diversify their existing
strong bilateral relations. The UAE’s Emirates Institution for Advanced
Science and Technology (EIAST)’s top executives led by Director General
Yousuf Al Shaibani recently met Indian delegates headed by Anurag
Bhushan, Consul General of India in Dubai, according to EIAST statement.

They discussed possible cooperation between EIAST and India’s space
agency Indian Space Research Organization in the field of space and
related areas. “India is in the midst of a massive national development
campaign and one of the areas of focus is harnessing space technology
for more diversified growth. ISRO, the national space agency of India
has formal cooperative agreements with more than 35 countries. (2/25)

Space Exploration Key for National
Security, Economic Growth in UAE (Source: The National)
The UAE has invested more than Dh18 billion into its space programmes,
the director general of the country’s newly-established space agency
said on Tuesday. Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi said the space market, estimated
globally to be worth $340 billion in 2013 and growing at an annual rate
of 7 percent, had long been identified by the Government as a sector
for development. (2/24)

NASA Scientist Encourages Florida
Students to Study Science (Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal)
A NASA scientist’s talk Tuesday night at Mainland High School about the
search for other planets like Earth left 12-year-old Aaliyah Battle
with one question. “Is the Earth dying?” the Campbell Middle School
7th-grader asked Firouz Naderi. “No, it is not, but if we don’t take
care of it, then it can die,” Naderi said.

Naderi, director of Solar System Exploration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in California, was the guest of Food Brings Hope, a Daytona
Beach nonprofit organization that helps homeless children attending
public schools in Volusia. Naderi was in Daytona Beach for a
presentation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, so organizers
took the opportunity to have him speak to elementary, middle and high
school children so they get interested in different fields of study.
(2/24)

Inside Roc's Lair with Stratolaunch
(Source: Aviation Week)
The massive size of the carrier aircraft now in assembly at Mojave for
Stratolaunch Systems’ space launch program is apparent for the first
time from footage shot for a recent news story by KGET 17. The NBC
affiliate was granted unprecedented access to film the gargantuan
vehicle, dubbed ‘Roc’ after the giant bird of prey in Middle East
mythology, as part of an overview report on space-related developments
at Mojave.

Built for Stratolaunch by Scaled Composites (now a subsidiary of
Northrop Grumman), the Roc will be the largest aircraft ever made, with
a wingspan of 385 ft. This compares to 320 ft for the Hughes H-4
Hercules (Spruce Goose), 290 ft for the six-engined Antonov An-225, 262
ft. for the Airbus A380, and 225 ft. for the Boeing 747-8. Click here. (2/25)

Antares Failure Review Still ‘Weeks’
Away (Source: Aviation Week)
It will be "weeks" before a failure review board reports its findings
on what caused an Orbital ATK Antares launch vehicle to fail seconds
after lifting off from its Wallops Island, Virginia., pad on Oct. 28,
2014.

To fulfill its NASA contract to deliver cargo to the International
Space Station, the company says it is on track with plans to use a
United Launch Alliance Atlas V to lift its next Cygnus pressurized
cargo carrier to the station this fall. And it is moving ahead with
plans to refly the medium-lift vehicle on a cargo mission to the ISS in
March 2016. (2/24)

Space is Cool, but NASA's
Cheeseburgers Look Gross (Source: Mashable)
Kids, you may want to rethink your dreams of becoming an astronaut.
Sure, the view from space may be awesome and you'll have endless
bragging rights, but the cheeseburgers are terrifying. NASA X tweeted a
photo of astronaut Terry Virts' "cheeseburger" on Tuesday, murdering
all that is sacred in the land of delicious cheeseburgers. Click here.
(2/25)

XCOR Gets Engine Test Stand with
Midland Lease Amendment (Source: NewsWest 9)
New equipment is in the works for XCOR Aerospace. The company will be
receiving a rocket engine test stand. The Midland City Council approved
amending an Economic Development agreement with XCOR to provide funding
for it. Up to $200,000 will be coming from the midland development
corporation for the project. Officials say the test stand will be the
airport's property but part of XCOR's lease. It'll be used as part of
the research and development operations of the spaceport. (2/24)

Spaceport America Vows to Move Forward
(Source: KVIA)
A $1.7 million dollar budget shortfall at Spaceport America emerged
after Virgin Galactic's recent flight test tragedy--from canceled
flights and special events, including a Lady Gaga concert. Virgin
Galactic is building a new launch vehicle while the crash investigation
continues. Test flights could begin by summer but the commercial flight
timeline is unclear. The facility says it's talking with 5 companies
about potential leases.

"We're expanding our business sectors a bit. Besides the space launch
area which obviously we're continuing to pursue and talk to a number of
people on. Hopefully we'll get another tenant in FY16... We're also
looking at drones and new A.V's," Christine Anderson said. A second
anchor tenant, SpaceX, says test flights of its reusable rocket will
begin in just a few weeks. The spaceport's also booking events and
filming commercials. In December, Kawasaki shot a commercial on the
12,000-foot long spaceway. (2/25)

NASA Eyes New Mars Orbiter for 2022
(Source: Space News)
NASA will launch a new telecommunications orbiter to the red planet in
2022 to follow the sample-caching Mars 2020 rover, the agency’s new
Mars czar said. This Mars 2022 orbiter may use experimental
technologies such as high-power solar-electric propulsion or an optical
communications package that could greatly improve transmission speed
and capacity over radio frequency systems, said Jim Watzin, NASA’s Mars
exploration program director. (2/25)

Space Florida Among Seed Investors in
Ardusat (Source: Prehub)
Ardusat, an education company focused on enhancing student engagement
through hands-on experimentation, announced it has secured a total of
$1 million in seed funding from Space Florida, Fresco Capital, Spire
and other investors. The capital will finance the expansion of
Ardusat’s Experiment Platform, which enables K-12 and higher education
students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) fields through custom experiments conducted in space or on
earth.

“Immersive programs, like the ones Ardusat is implementing, are just
what we need in our school system to get more students excited about
STEM careers,” said Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello. “It’s critical to
engage our next generation of scientists and engineers early on.
Providing hands-on opportunities to create and execute experiments in
space is a wonderful way to make that happen. We are looking forward to
seeing these programs implemented in Florida schools.” (2/25)

Texas County Moves Forward with Space
Plan, Appoints Board (Source: Waco Tribune)
Seven people were appointed Tuesday to a board created to bring state
funds to McLennan County to encourage local space development. McLennan
County commissioners voted to approve the incorporation of an entity —
along with its bylaws and board of directors — that officials say will
be the third of its kind in the state.

County Judge Scott Felton said grant funding is available from the
state to assist in the creation and development of a spaceport, which
is an area to be used for spaceflight activities, including research,
development, testing and more. SpaceX and its McGregor facilities are
involved in spaceflight activities, as is the Texas State Technical
College campus, which serves to train and research for spaceflight
activities. (2/25)

America’s New Rules for Drones Will
Keep Some Businesses Grounded (Source: Economist)
Like driverless cars, pilotless aircraft also promise to be a huge
business if regulatory obstacles can be overcome. This week, after
years of delay, America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came
out with its draft rules for commercial drones. Although not as
draconian as some had feared, unmanned aircraft will continue to have
their wings clipped.

There had been worries that the FAA would require drones to undergo an
expensive and lengthy process to be certified as airworthy, as happens
with manned aircraft; and that the person on the ground operating the
drone would need a pilot’s licence. Instead, the agency is proposing
that drones weighing less than 25kg (55lbs), that are well-maintained
and checked before flight, can be flown without certification by
operators who have passed a basic aeronautical test.

The drones, however, would have to stay below 500 feet, fly only in
daylight and remain in view of their operators at all time. And they
could not be flown over people. This is a “good first step”, said the
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems, a lobby group. It would
allow, say, an estate agent to take aerial photographs of a house being
put up for sale, or a farmer to survey a crop for signs of disease—and
do so for a lot less than hiring a helicopter. But not being allowed to
fly over crowds might prevent television companies from filming
sporting events with drones. (2/24)

Moon Space Law: Legal Debate Swirls
Around Private Lunar Ventures (Source: Space.com)
Without a legal framework, proponents of lunar business say that
investors won't develop the financial and technical wherewithal to
build industry on the moon. There's need for assurance from the United
States government that private-sector activities will be approved and
protected when they aim for the moon.

First, Congress needs to revisit the Commercial Space Launch Act and
amend it so that the FAA has broader authority between the launch and
re-entry phase of future commercial activities. The FAA and Congress
need to consider how potential laws like the proposed Asteroid Act will
affect the Commercial Space Launch Act and specifically how it will
affect international treaty obligations.

Second, the executive branch, specifically the State Department, will
need to work with the FAA and Congress to determine how future
commercial activities such as Bigelow's will affect not only
international treaty obligations but the geopolitical sphere as well.
Click here.
(2/24)

Russia to Build Its Own Orbital
Station After 2024 (Source: Sputnik)
Russia will continue using the International Space Station (ISS) until
around 2024 and is planning to build its own orbital outpost using the
existing ISS modules, Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said Tuesday. "The
configuration of a multi-purpose lab module, a docking module and a
scientific-energy module allows us to build an orbital station to
ensure Russia's access to outer space," Roscosmos Science and
Technology Board said in a statement. (2/24)

Blakey Leaving AIA For Rolls-Royce
North America (Source: Aviation Week)
Marion Blakey, the longtime face and voice of U.S. aerospace and
defense industry concerns in Washington, is leaving her lobby perch to
take over European engine-maker Rolls-Royce’s North American (RRNA)
operations. The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the company
announced the move separately on Feb. 24. She will become CEO and
president of RRNA and chair its U.S. board of directors. (2/24)

Reentering Chinese Rocket Sparks North
America Fireballs (Source: Discovery)
The third stage of a Chinese rocket, which blasted off in December to
put a remote sensing satellite into orbit, returned into the atmosphere
in grand fashion Monday night, sparking a family of spectacular
fireballs as it incinerated over the western part of North America.
(2/24)

Using Jupiter as an Alien World Analog
(Source: Discovery)
Owing to its size, fascinating chemistry and system of varied moons,
Jupiter is one of the most studied planets in the solar system, though
many mysteries remain. But a new study has taken a look at the gas
giant from a whole different perspective — as an alien, living far
beyond the solar system, would see it. Click here.
(2/24)

Next Launch of Angara Heavy Lift
Rocket Planned for First Half of 2016 (Source: Itar-Tass)
The next launch of the Angara-A5 heavy lift carrier rocket will be
carried out in the first half of 2016, a rocket and space industry
source said. "The next Angara flight is scheduled for the first half of
2016," he said. The rocket’s general designer Vladimir Nesterov said
previously that the second heavy Angara rocket would be delivered to
Russia’s military on late 2015. (2/24)

Despite JWST Progress, A Key Subsystem
Faces Delays (Source: Aviation Week)
The $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope program is on track to run
a series of environmental tests this summer on key instruments, with
plans to begin a final three-month cyro-vacuum test of the JWST’s
Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), according to NASA. The
program’s ISIM team says it has overcome a series of challenges
plaguing all four of the module’s instruments, as well as a cryocooler
subsystem that supports the Mid-Infrared Instrument. (2/24)

Defeatism, Cynicism and Mindless
Conservatism Didn't Get Us to the Moon (Source: USA Today)
NASA is necessarily risk-averse. The space agency carefully scripts the
activities of astronauts, safely planning extravehicular activities and
scientific investigations aboard the International Space Station. And
that's perfectly appropriate for the times we live in.

These days the big picture — the longer-term benefit to humanity of
taking risks to achieve something extraordinary such as Apollo — is
rarely what motivates congressional appropriations. Instead,
parochialism and near-term thinking determine what Congress authorizes
NASA to do.

Settlement of Mars in our lifetime demands a different approach. Mars
One sets a clear and audacious goal: a self-sustaining colony on Mars.
It has already begun working with traditional aerospace contractors,
including Lockheed Martin. However, unlike Apollo, Mars One will use
market forces and the ingenuity of the settlers to make it happen.
(2/23)

Two UCF Students Among Mars One
Finalists (Source: Central Florida Future)
Two UCF students have made it one step closer to becoming the first
humans on Mars. On Feb. 16, Mars One foundation announced the Mars 100
Round Three candidates to colonize Mars. Among them are UCF students,
computer science major Taranjeet Singh Bhatia and Ph.D. physics student
George Hatcher. (2/24)

NASA Successfully Launches Three
Rockets for DOD (Source: WAVY)
Early Tuesday morning, NASA Wallops Flight Facility successfully
launched three Terrier-Oriole suborbital rockets for the Department of
Defense. The rockets were launched between 2:30 a.m and 2:31 a.m. from
the flight facility on the Eastern Shore. These rocket launches were
the first since the Antares rocket launch explosion from Oct. 28, 2014.
(2/24)

Virgin Galactic’s Sales Numbers Don’t
Add Up (Source: Parabolic Arc)
I’ve been doing a bit of research into Virgin Galactic over the last
few days. I’ve come to a realization that the company’s ticket sales
and cancellation numbers don’t add up in the wake of SpaceShipTwo’s
crash. Prior to the crash, Richard Branson was claiming the company had
800 ticket holders, or close to that number. He reiterated the figure
three days after the crash.

So, assuming an even 800 ticket holders, Virgin Galactic would have
been left with 778 people still signed up for trips to space [after 24
cancellations, as reported by BetaWired]. Here’s the interesting thing.
The number dropped to around 700 by the beginning of 2015. That’s
according to NBC's Alan Boyle. So, what could account for such a sharp
drop? There are two possibilities. Click here.
(2/24)

Editorial: Alaska Spaceport Plays
Vital, Growing Role (Source: News Miner)
When the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) was created by the
Legislature almost two decades ago, the direction for the company was
clear: “... (S)pace-related economic growth, thereby ensuring a stable
and dynamic research and business climate by attracting space-related
businesses to locate within and utilize the opportunities provided in
the state ...” (Alaska Statute 26.27.090)

For 15 years, we were not particularly imaginative and somewhat content
having a single Department of Defense military customer dominate launch
site activity and revenue creation. That was the aerospace world back
then. Today, we steadily are moving forward toward corporate
independence, with a goal of operating without a need for state
assistance. We are forecasting our place in a dynamic modern aerospace
launch market that is building up ultimately to a tempo of launches per
week, not launches per year.

Our elected officials are looking for alternatives to just cutting jobs
from state government to cover expenses. AAC is engaged in building
revenue generation and job creation while it has been reducing its
operating costs by $2 million per year, each year, on the way to zero.
(2/24)

Like to Chase Space Probes? Track All
Active Ones From Moon and Beyond (Source: C/net)
When Ariel Waldman and Lisa Ballard took a look around space-related
Internet sites recently, they discovered something missing. There
weren't any sites that provided a comprehensive picture of all the
space probes drifting through our solar system. So on Thursday,
February 19, the women launched a mission of their own: Spaceprob.es.

The new website delivers the details on 29 active space probes. These,
Waldman told me, include any satellite with which we still have
communication. To be included on the site, the probe must also be at
least as far away as the moon. Earth-orbiting satellites don't count.
Click here.
(2/24)

2015 to Become Record-Breaking Year
for Soyuz-2 Launches (Source: Itar-Tass)
Russia is planning to conduct 19 launches of Soyuz-2 carrier rockets
this year, breaking the record of 14 missions in 2014, the director
general of the Yekaterinburg-based manufacturer of equipment for the
space-rocket hardware said on Tuesday. (2/24)

Could Ionized Gas Do A Better Job of
Sterilizing Spacecraft? (Source: Astrobiology)
Earth’s microbes are a hardy bunch. They can survive in extreme
environments, such as inside hot springs at the bottom of the ocean.
Some have even remained alive despite being exposed to the ultraviolet
and ionizing radiation, extreme low temperatures, and vacuum of space.
This is why planetary protection advocates are so concerned about our
exploration of other planets in the Solar System.

Concerns about the contamination of the icy moon Europa, for example,
prompted controllers of the Galileo mission to crash the spacecraft
into Jupiter in 2003 so that microbes wouldn’t accidentally take seed
on what could be a habitable moon. Despite the best efforts of
spacecraft cleaners, some microbes seem to survive conventional
cleaning processes. This is why a new method is emerging that uses
ionized gas to kill the microbes.

“Plasma sterilization is a process not only compatible with modern
spacecraft, but it also enables successful removal and inactivation of
most resistant microbial species isolated in spacecraft assembly
facilities,” wrote Moeller. “The method is very fast. Full spore
inactivation of 100 million of bacterial spores was achieved in five
minutes, even with spores of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032, which
encounters the highest resistance to UV radiation and further
sterilization methods,” wrote Katharina Stapelmann. (2/24)

Spaceport to be Discussed at Meeting
in Clear Lake on March 3 (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Residents and business owners in Clear Lake and southeast Houston will
have a chance to voice concerns about such projects as a spaceport at
Ellington Field, at a joint Capital Improvement Project meeting on
Tuesday, March 3.

The development of a Houston Spaceport at Ellington Field would serve
as an economic generator for the city and enhance the region's position
a key player in the aerospace industry. The key to the spaceport's
success is securing continued funding at the state level, said Bob
Mitchell, president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. (2/24)

Let’s Go Back to the Moon. No, Mars.
No, the Moon. The Debate Continues. (Source: Washington Post)
To the moon again? Or Mars? The questions have hung over NASA for
years, and emerged again at a Senate committee hearing Tuesday. Under
President George W. Bush, the target was the moon. Under Obama, who
said “we’ve been there before,” Mars became the mission.

But now as his term nears its end, there is some increasingly vocal
criticism of that decision, saying there isn’t the funding or political
will to get to Mars. Focusing on Mars is a “flawed policy direction,”
said Scott Pace. The moon, he says, “is the next logical target for all
of our potential international partners.”

Russia has endorsed sending astronauts there, he said. China sent an
unmanned rover to the moon, and unveiled designs for a new heavy rocket
for deep space exploration. It even has plans to build its own space
station. “Growing space powers such as the Republic of Korea and India
have their own unmanned lunar ambitions,” Pace said, while adding that
the private sector has also made huge advancements. Click here.
(2/24)

This Astronaut Wants to Fly You to
Space (Source: Huffington Post)
Becoming an astronaut is easily the dream of many but sometimes that's
all it ever is -- a dream. For Leland Melvin, who happens to be the
13th African American astronaut, that all became a reality through
patience, hard work, and a knack for problem solving. About 14 years
after Melvin joined NASA, he flew two missions on the Space Shuttle
Atlantis -- first as a mission specialist in February 2008 and then as
a mission specialist 1 the following year. Click here.
(2/24)

Aerojet Rocketdyne to Research Next
Generation Green Propellants (Source: Aerojet)
Aerojet Rocketdyne was awarded a contract to research and develop
environmentally sustainable monopropellants and gas generators for
rocket and missile propulsion and Divert Attitude Control Systems.
The company is working with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile
Research, Development and Engineering Center; the U.S. Air Force
Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base; and the U.S. Army
Medical Command to develop a new family of high-performing liquid
propellants. The effort is funded through the Strategic Environmental
Research and Development Program, an office of the Department of
Defense. (2/24)

Cruz Wants the U.S. to Embrace Space
(Source: Bellingham Herald)
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz ran his first subcommittee hearing today as a
surprisingly bipartisan lovefest on space exploration. “As chairman, my
first priority for the space portion of the subcommittee is helping
NASA refocus its priorities,” said Cruz in his opening remarks. “It is
imperative that America has the ability to get to the International
Space Station without the assistance of the Russians.”

As Cruz spoke, the committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson of
Florida, who was seated next to Cruz, smiled and nodded. Nelson then
said, “Blossoms are breaking out all over Washington. What you just
said – you and I completely agree on.” Cruz nodded his head often when
Nelson spoke, too, about the need for commercial development of space
travel. The Florida senator said the subcommittee had always been
“non-partisan.” (2/24)

Harris CapRock Touts Maritime Service
That Automatically Switches to Best Network (Source: Space News)
Managed telecommunications solutions provider Harris CapRock has put
together a new maritime service that company officials say will keep
users connected by automatically switching them to the best available
network, satellite or terrestrial, at any given location. (2/24)